Strategies to improve disaster risk management in hospitals
Citation: Azarmi S, Sharififar S, Pishgooie AH, et al. Hospital disaster risk management improving strategies: A systematic review study. American Journal of Disaster Medicine. 2022;17(1):75-89.
Language: Abstract and Full text available in English.
Free to view: No.
Funding sources: Nothing noted.
What is this? In this systematic review, the authors searched for studies of strategies to improve the management of risks to hospitals from disasters. They restricted their searches to articles published in English and Persian from January 2010 to January 2020. The authors included 24 publications from Africa (1), Asia (16), Australia (1), Europe (2), and North America (4).
What was found: The authors identified five themes: organisational-managerial, risk reduction, preparedness, response, and recovery. Organisational-managerial strategies in disaster preparedness involved commitment, participation and support from managers, senior officials, legislators, and law enforcement. Risk reduction involved risk analysis and the promotion of functional, structural, and environmental safety. Strategies for preparedness included training to strengthen knowledge and plans for surge capacity. Response strategies encompassed protection of staff and patients, surveillance systems, management of resources, and communication with media. Strategies for recovery included the provision of vital resources, psychosocial support for staff, and research.
Implications: The authors of the review concluded that the identified themes could be used to develop a comprehensive programme to manage risks to hospitals from disasters. The involvement of managers and staff to identify problems could lead to faster and easier strategies for improvement.
Other considerations: The authors of the review discussed their findings in the context of culture.
This summary was prepared by Fatima Abbas, checked by Cristián Mansilla and Jawaria Karim, and finalized by William Summerskill.